HTC 5800 Fusion - Review

Phone Arena is testing and reviewing mobile phones for you. This video focus' on the HTC 5800 Fusion.

HTC 5800 Fusion – Review This is Phone Arena’s video review of the HTC 5800 Fusion. The 5800, it uses Window’s Mobile 6 standard operating system incorporated into a device that looks like a normal candy bar style phone. However, hidden under the main display is a full featured QWERTY keypad, they’re spring loaded which makes it easy to open and close. There are three rows of keys that feature a bright blue back lighting but it’s easy to see in a low white. The buttons are large compared to other smartphone devices, but unlike the HTC 10, there is no space separating them and they are smooth to the touch. Because of this it is easy to make a mistake when trying to type a message too fast. The phone is constructed out of plastic with the back having ridges that makes it easy to hold on to. On the left side is the power button and volume rocker button with MicroSD card slot, the mini USB port is along the bottom edge and the camera button is on the right side with the lens located on the back. It’s a standard 2 mega pixel camera with no flash or auto focus system. Images taken outside have good color saturation that are lacking in fine detail. Indoor images are even worst with pictures looking blurry and out of focus. The large 2.4 inch display features 320 by 240 pixel QVGA resolution and supports up to 65,000 colors. It is not a touchscreen but images and text are shown with high contrast and good detail. When sliding open the phone, the image only display is rotated 90 degrees in the landscape mode and when sliding close, it reverts back into portrait mode. Under the display is the numeric keypad which is also smooth to the, but provides good tactile feedback when buttons are pressed. The navigational D pad just like on the S710 is smaller than we would have light and can be uncomfortable to use over a long period of time. It is also lacking any type of back lighting. Current windows smartphone users will feel right at home with the new version 6 operating system. The home screen showed icons of previously used applications along the top, upcoming appointments and visual works for missed calls, voicemail, email and takes messages. Pressing the right soft key will take you to your contacts list. Or from the home screen, you can press the keypad letters to bring up contacts with matching names and numbers. Windows Mobile 6 includes Microsoft Office which allows you to open Excel, PowerPoint in Word documents. There is also a mobile version of Adobe Acrobat which allows you to view PDF files. Unlike the S710, the 5800 uses a faster 400 megahertz processor so applications open fast without any lag. The 5800 supports 3G eVideo for data connections. This combine with Internet Explore is almost like having home internet usability built into the phone. You can view standard HTML websites and depending on their size, can take anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds to load. The best way of viewing web pages is with the display in landscape mode but there is still some horizontal and vertical scrolling due to the size of the screen. Instant messaging can only be done using Windows Live Messenger. Instant Messaging can only be done using Windows Live Messenger. During phone calls, the voice quality on the 5800 is not as clear as we experienced with the Motorola Q9M with some background static being heard. The earpiece volume is also not as loud even when turned up to the highest level. This could be a problem when trying to use the phone in a noisy environment. Overall, we were satisfied with the HTC 5800 fusion. It combines Windows Mobile 6 and a relatively small hand set that when opened reveals a fully functional QWERTY keypad. The 2.4 inch QVG screen is easy to view in a variety of lighting conditions and can be used in either portrait or landscape mode. We recommend this device for anyone that’s looking for good quality smartphone.